


New Friend

by Lokisgame



Series: Sweet Nothings [28]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Fluff, post hijacking, sweet nothings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 17:29:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19155694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokisgame/pseuds/Lokisgame
Summary: "Why do I have a profound sense of deja vu?"





	New Friend

They drove for less than an hour, but the familiar feeling already began to set in. Overcast sky leaked halfhearted drizzle, making her hair frizzy and her heart warm with memory.  
It felt new and familiar, all at the same time. Though the car was his and they didn't have to pretend it was anything but a trip on their free time, she lived through this scene enough times, to sit back and watch the landscape slip by. The air smelled of rain and forest, rushing in through the window cracked open, mixing with low key anticipation radiating of Mulder, his fingers drumming to the beat of a song on the radio.  
"You wake me up on a Saturday morning, tell me to be ready in five minutes and refuse to share where we're going," she mused, looking away from the trees to see him smirk. "Why do I have a profound sense of deja vu?"  
"I promise you, it's not what you think."  
"Not another sea monster sighting?"  
"Nope."  
"No moth-men crawled out of the wood work?"  
He chuckled, "nope."  
"It's not I-95 so it's not the Jersey Devil either."  
"May she rest in peace."  
"Where are we going Mulder?"  
"You'll see."  
Nothing could wipe the smile off his lips, so she let it go, feeling generous. She knew he loved it, keeping her on the edge of her seat, and since they were happily reassigned, away from the X-files and onto each other, she didn't mind all that much. Once it stopped being a job, she could almost enjoy it, indulging his quirks while keeping him away from any real mischief. Mulder was curious and that part couldn't be killed without killing him along with it, so she stopped trying. She loved him, just the way he was, even more so, when he was smiling like that, on their anniversary no less. It was quite fitting to celebrate like that. So she listened to the morning news, the weather forecast promising clearer skies in the afternoon, the classic rock they both knew. Her mind drifted to the plans, waiting on the table in her kitchen, the furniture catalogues and colour samples.  
"I think we should take the leather sofa." She said, just as Mulder slowed down.  
He flipping the lights and turned right, into a side road.  
"We're here." He said, giving her a quick glance.  
"Which is?"  
"See for yourself."  
The little road opened to a gravel parking lot, with a few cars parked outside a chainlink fence. A modest building greeted newcomers to the large property, the sign proclaiming it "Little Brothers' Animal Shelter."  
"Mulder?"  
"It's not what you think." He laughed, pulling into the nearest free spot.  
"You haven't made new friends on-line, have you?" She sighed, dramatically shaking her head. "I knew it was too good to last."  
Mulder pulled the manual break and clicked his seatbelt free, leaning over quickly to peck her cheek. Scully laughed, dropping the act, and looking up cupped his cheek, kissing him softly. Mulder kissed back, sweet and gentle, just as the first time, and many times after that.  
They were both smiling when they broke apart.  
"Good thing I haven't made up my mind about the sofa," she teased.   
"We'll see about that. C'mon."  
They walked up the path, holding hands. Heavy scent of living animals hung in the air, a dozen of canid voices called and replied somewhere close by. Walking up the steps to the front door, a large, black cat watched them carefully with his slitted, green eyes. Bell above the door chimed and a young girl looked up from behind a computer, pausing in her furious typing.  
"Hi, how may I help you?"  
"Hello, we're here to see miss Price, my name is Fox Mulder."  
"Oh, you're early."  
"The traffic was light."  
"I'll tell her you've arrived, but it might take a minute, morning rounds. Will you have a seat?"  
"Sure, we'll wait."  
Scully looked around baffled, glancing over childish drawings, letters and pictures of pets with young, happy owners. Mulder's hand landed on the small of her back and she followed instinctively, letting him guide her to the nearby sofa, where another cat, laid curled into a ball, watching them with indulgent disinterest. She took the corner, Mulder sat between her and the cat, and the furry beast promptly climbed into his lap. Mulder laughed and smoothed out his ginger fur, the heavy warmth rumbling under his palm.  
"What are we doing here?" Scully asked finally.  
"I was wondering," he said slowly, not looking away from the cat, "since we won't be traveling as much, and we'll have that big house with that big lawn, we might consider getting a dog." Scully's eyes grew wide and her jaw practically landed in her lap. Mulder watched her carefully, as if treading on glass. "Or a cat, or both if you want. This is just an idea, we don't have to decide anything if you don't want to." He was loosing steam the longer she didn't stop him, touched beyond words.  
"I didn't want to spring this on you, animals are not toys," Mulder looked away, back to the cat in his lap, eyes closed, completely content. His fingers were buried deep into the fur around the cat's neck and she purred, leaning into his touch. "I remember how you looked when Queequeg was, you know, and I know how you feel about kennels, so I thought instead of buying, we'd adopt."  
"They knew we were coming." She said finally, clearing her throat.  
"I've been here a few days ago, to ask around."  
The doors behind the counter opened and the girl came back, a tall, blonde woman following behind her. Nails clicked on the tile floor, accompanied by small, happy whines and the cat in Mulders' lap opened one eye, got up and gracefully hopped onto the back of the couch, folding himself on the parapet behind it, ignoring the humans as if they filled their purpose.  
The woman beamed, rounding the counter with a chocolate brown puppy, jumping up and down, trying to nibble on the leash, clipped to his red collar.  
"Mr Mulder, good to see you back."  
"Hi," Mulder smiled, getting up, shaking hands. "This is my partner."  
"Dana Scully," Scully said reaching out.  
She aimed for neutral professional, but then two oversized paws pushed her forward, head bumped into her thigh, demanding petting and making her laugh.  
"Karen Price," the woman said holding back a laugh, watching Scully ruffle the puppy's ears, his tongue looking for some skin to kiss. "And this is Boomer."  
"Hi boy," Scully crooned, folding herself on the floor, scratching and wrestling, trying to keep him from licking her cheeks. Mulder crouched beside her and petted the dog, earning few licks.  
"So, what do you think, you wanna see the others?"  
Scully looked up and when she smiled, the joy in her eyes was pure and overflowing.

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by a MSRpolaroid "New Friend" (on Tumblr)


End file.
